Why This Web Site

This site celebrates the contributions of Blacks to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to their communities. Latter-day Saints are also known as Mormons due to their belief in the Book of Mormon in addition to the Bible.

We hope to correct racial myths and misunderstandings that linger from critics of Mormonism as well as from Latter-day Saints themselves. We strive to build the Gospel vision that we are all children of God, of great and equal worth in His sight.

Blacks have been Latter-day Saints since the church’s beginnings in the 1830’s. Some held the priesthood and served missions in the early church. Click on History to see a timeline on how Latter-day Saint events and views toward Blacks unfolded along with religious and secular racial history in America. Read the stories of Black pioneers.

Click on Priesthood to learn how limitations on Black Latter-day Saints were lifted in 1978 and how Latter-day Saints have worked to improve respect and understanding.

Testimonies

"Since I joined the Church, I desire to be more and more obedient to God. As I do so, many people say to me, 'I see a light in you more than ever before. What is it?'...During one performance at Disney world...[a member of the audience asked,] 'Could you please tell us...how you got that light?'"...more...
–Gladys Knight

"At the age of 15, I considered myself a seeker of truth and a spiritual person. I discovered THE BOOK OF MORMON while doing research on Muslims at my high school. I had every intention of uniting myself to that religion in some form. Assuming Muslims had some affiliation with Mormon specified on that strange sky-blue edition of the BOOK OF MORMON; I removed it from the shelf and read it. That book converted me to Jesus Christ..."...more...
–Rodric Johnson